PunjabCurrentAffairsJuly– October

(2017)

Dr.Gaurav Garg

Stubbleburningdownby30%:Punjab

StubbleburninginPunjabhasdroppedby30percentthisyearascomparedtolastyear,thestategovernmenttoldtheNationalGreen

Tribunal(NGT).

TheTribunalhadearlierthismonthrappedthePunjabgovernmentfornotincentivising thefarmersorassistingthemtomanagethecrop

residue,estimatedtobearound35milliontonne,whichisconsistentlybeingsetablazebyfarmerstomakeupfortheshortwindowbetween

winterandsummercrops.

Therewere14,432casesofstubbleburningthisyear,whilein2016therewere22,269cases

PunjabgovernmenthassoughtRs2,000croreasfinancialhelpfromthecentralgovernmenttosupportitsfarmersbyremovingpaddystraw

fromthefieldstoavoiditsburning.

TheNGThadearlierfixedtheenvironmentpenaltyamountperincidentofcropburningtobepaidbysmalllandownershavinglessthantwoacresoflandatRs2,500,mediumlandownersholdingovertwoacresandlessthanfiveacresatRs5,000 andthoseowningoverfiveacresat

Rs15,000.

TheNGThadin2015askedDelhi,Punjab,Haryana,UttarPradeshandRajasthantocurbthispracticeandlateraskedthemtoincentivise small

farmerstomanagethestubble.

Notaxforkeepingpetsinurbanareas:Punjabgovernment

ThePunjabgovernment trashedmediareportssuggestingthatanewtaxwouldbeimposedonpeopleinurbanareasforkeepingpets,cattleorotheranimals.

Aspokespersonsaidthatthestategovernmentisframing'PunjabMunicipalCorporationandMunicipal(RegistrationControlofStrayAnimalsandCompensation

totheVictimofAnimalAttack)bye-laws,2017aspercourtorders.

ThePunjabandHaryanaHighCourthadonacivilwritpetitionrecentlyaskedPunjab,HaryanaandtheUnionTerritoryofChandigarhtochalkoutapolicyforputtingtoastoptheoccurrencesofpeoplebeingbittenbystraydogsorother

animalsandawardingcompensationtothefamilyofdeceasedpersons.

Undertheproposal,nonewtaxisintendedtobeimposed

PunjabgovtfixesindustrialpowertariffatRs5perunitfor5years

Inordertoboostindustrializationandreviveeconomicactivityinthestate,thePunjabCabinetapprovedthenewIndustrialandBusiness

DevelopmentPolicy-2017,pavingthewayforfixingofindustrialpowertariffatRs5perunitwitheffectfromNovember1

ThePunjabgovernment’smovecomesinthebackdropofIndia’scleanenergytariffsreachingarecordlow.

PunjabimposesentertainmenttaxonDTH,cableconnections

AccordingtoastatementreleasedbythePunjabchiefminister’soffice,thelocalbodieswillnowbeabletoimposeandcollectentertainmenttaxofRs5perDTHconnectionandRs2per

localcableconnectionpermonth“withtheenactmentofThePunjabEntertainments&AmusementsTaxes(Levy&CollectionbyLocalBodies)Act2017.”

However,noadditionalentertainmenttaxhasbeenproposedforcinemas,multiplexesandamusementparks.

ThegovernmenthasproposedtobringthenewlegislationinthenextsessionofthelegislativeassemblyandisexpectingtogenerateRs45-47croreinannualrevenuefromthetaxeswith

closeto1.6millionDTHand4.4millioncableconnections inthestate.

Currently,theGSThasbeenfixedat18%onDTHandcable servicesbythefinanceministry

Aheadofwheatsowingseason:Punjabtodistribute2.80-lakhquintalsofsubsidised seeds.

Aheadofthewheatsowingseason,whichwillkickofffromthesecondweekofNovember,thePunjabagriculturedepartmentwilldistribute2.80lakhquintalof

subsidised andcertifiedseedstofarmers.

ThesubsidywillcostthestateRs28crore

Around35lakhhectaresisunderwheatcultivationinPunjab.

TheagricultureministrywillgiveasubsidyofRs1,000perquintal,whichmeansafarmerwillbeabletoprocureseedsatRs1,600.

Presently,seedscostbetweenRs2,600toRs2,700perquintal.

Punjabtosetup20industrialclusters

Punjabislookingtosetupatleast20 industrialclusters acrossthestatewiththrustonMicro,SmallandMediumEnterprises(MSME)

sector.

Forthis,thestateplanstoapproachtheCentreandseekRs15croreforeachcluster.

Lastyear,thestatecouldgetapprovalforonlyoneindustrialclusterinMohali,whiletheadjoiningstateof Haryana gotanodforseven.

TamilNadu topsthelistwithasmanyas30operationalclusters.

Accordingtothescheme,industrialistscangettogetheronacommonplatformwithapprovalfromtheCentre,whichissuesthemgrantstodevelopinfrastructureandbuymachineryforcommonuse,especiallywhensmall-scaleindustriesarenotina

situationtopurchaseexpensiveequipment.

TherewillbeeightclustersinLudhiana,nineinJalandhar, twoinMohali andoneinPatiala.

ItisbeingplannedthatwhileclustersinMohali willfocusonengineering,Patialawillbeanidealplaceforautoparts.

KnitwearandengineeringtoolswillbethrustareasforLudhianaandclustersinJalandhar cangiveaboosttosportsgoods.

Punjabwininter-statewheelchaircricketmeet

PunjabdefeatedUttarPradeshtowintheinter-statewheelchaircrickettournamentheldatPanjab University

grounds.

VeerSinghasdeclaredBestBatsmanandManoftheMatch.

Anmol fromUttarPradeshwasadjudgedManoftheSeries.

PunjablaunchesOPDforrehabilitatingdrugaddicts

InyetanotherinitiativetocurbthedrugmenaceinPunjab,theCaptainAmarinderSinghgovernmentlaunchedakindofoutdoorpatientdepartment(OPD)service

fordrugaddictsfromthisdistrict.

HealthministerBrahmMohindra,whokickstarted thepilotprojectoftheOutpatientOpioidAssistedTreatment(OOAT)atthegovernmentrehabilitationcentreatJaner villageinMoga,saiditisalsobeinglaunchedinTarnTaran and

Amritsardistricts.

UndertheOOATproject,afreedoseofBuprenorphine (anopioid)willbegiventothepatientsasanalternativetothedrugtheyhavebeenaddictedto.

PunjabapproveshikeinOBCincomelimit

PunjabChiefMinisterAmarinder SinghhasapprovedanincreaseinthegrossannualincomelimitforthecreamylayeroftheOtherBackwardClassesand

BackwardClasses from₹6lakhto8lakh.

ThedecisionisinlinewiththeCentralgovernment’sdirectivetoensuregreatersocialjusticeandinclusionofmembersoftheOtherBackwardClasses

andBackwardClassesinthematterofreservation.

Thiswasthefourthrevisionofthecreamylayer, whichwasfixedat₹1lakhin1993andsubsequentlyhikedto₹2.5lakhin2004,₹4.5lakhin2008and₹6

lakhin2013.

TheSocialJusticeandEmpowermentMinistryhadproposedthatOBCfamilieswhichearnmorethan₹8lakhperyearshouldbeunderthecreamylayercategory.

Onein87personsinPunjabdependentondrugs:survey

Punjab,whichhasbeenbattlingthemenaceofdrugs,currentlycouldhavebetween1lakhto2.7lakhpeoplethataredependentonopioids.

InChandigarh,between1,385to7,000couldbeusingthem.

Findingsfromthestudytitled“EpidemiologyofSubstanceUseandDependenceintheStateofPunjab,”releasedbythePostgraduateInstituteofMedicalEducationandResearch(PGIMER) revealedthataboutonein92personsinPunjabhadused‘any’illicitsubstance(drug)inthepast12months,andmorethanonein87were

currentlydependentonthem.

Theaimofthehouseholdsurveywastoestimatetheprevalenceofsubstanceusesuchasheroin,bhukhi (poppyhusk)andopium,besidesalcoholandtobacco.

Theobjectiveoftherapidassessmentsurveywastoestimatethesizeofthepopulationusingillicitdrugs

Thestudypointedoutthatapproximatelyoneinsixpersonsweredependenton‘any’substanceandcontrarytoexpectation,substanceuseanddependence

weremorecommoninruralthanurbanareas.

Thesinglemostcommonsubstanceofuseanddependencewasalcoholfollowedbytobacco.

Thereweremorethan22lakhalcoholdependentpersonsandnearly16lakhstobaccodependentpersonscurrently

TherapidassessmentsurveyrevealedthatinPunjabnaturalopioids (opiumandpoppyhusk) werethemostcommontypesinusewhileinjectionopioid usewas

thesecondmostcommonform.

“Ininjectionopioids — heroinwasthecommonesttype.

InChandigarh,meanwhileapproximatelyonein1,250personswasusingillicitopioids substances,accordingtothehouseholdsurveywhiletherapidassessmentsurveypointedoutthatinChandigarhtheopioid dependent

populationwasaround7,000.

Thesearetypicallyyoungmalesandinjections(Buprenorphin/Heroin/Pentzocin)arethemostcommontypesinuse.

Pre-PrimaryClassesInPunjabGovernmentSchoolsFromNovember14

Pre-primaryclasseswillbegininallgovernmentschoolsacrossPunjabfromNovember14,EducationMinisterAruna Chaudharysaid.

Theministersaidthatthisstepwouldleadtothestrengtheningoftheeducationalsystemfromthegrassrootslevelbesidesresultinginoverall

personalitydevelopmentoftheyoungstudents.

Shealsoelaboratedthatasperthe'Parho Punjab,Parhao Punjab'project,childrenintheagegroupof3-6yearswouldbeadmittedinthepre-

primaryclasses.

PunjabgovttoappointcricketerHarmanpreetKaur asDSP

Cricketer HarmanpreetKaur,whosestellarinningsagainstAustraliasteeredIndiaintothe ICCWomen'sWorldCup final,maysoondon

khakiasthe Punjabgovernment hasinitiatedtheprocessofinductingherasaDSP( DeputySuperintendentofPolice) inthe

statepolice.

PUNJABGOVTRELEASESRS90LAKHFORCONSTRUCTEDOFULTRAMODERNCATTLEPOND

ThePunjabGovernmenthasreleasedRs90lakhfortheconstructionofultramoderncattlepondandaveterinarydispensaryatvillageKanian Kalan in

Jalandhar district.

“TheprojectwouldbecompletedonthelinesofcattlepondatMansa,havingthecapacityofkeepingmorethan2000cattle.

OutofRs90lakh,Rs50lakhwouldbeusedforfeedandfodderoflivestocks,whereasanewshedwouldalsobeconstructedwithRs16.50lakh.

Aveterinarydispensarywith24hourtreatmentfacilitieswouldalsobeconstructedatthesite.

FormerPunjabministerGurdev SinghBadal passes away

FormerPunjabministerandseniorShiromani Akali Dal(SAD)leaderGurdev SinghBadal passedaway.

Gurdev hadrepresentedPanjgrain andJaito assemblyseatsinthepast.

Punjabrushestonamerightspanelchairman

Thestategovernment rushedthroughtheappointmentofJusticeIqbalAhmedAnsari, formerChiefJusticeofPatnaHighCourt,astheStateHuman

RightsCommissionChairman.

Theappointmentwasfinalised despitethelawsuggestingthattheselectionprocesshadtobecompletedinthepresenceoftheLeaderofOpposition,apostthatfellvacantfollowingtheresignationofAam Aadmi Party(AAP)

leaderHSPhoolka.

TheSupremeCourtlawyerquitsohecouldrepresentvictimsofthe1984anti-Sikhriotsincourts.

TheAAPleadershipisyettonamehisreplacement.

BrahmMohindra inauguratesfirsthealthATMofPunjab

PunjabHealthMinisterBrahmMohindra inauguratedthefirsthealthATMofPunjabattheprimaryhealthcentreatNidampur inSangrur.

Underthefacility,patientswillspeaktodoctorsinBengaluruandJaipurthroughvideoconferencingandtheATMwillrecordthe

medicinesprescribedbydoctors.

Theinbuiltscannerwouldscantheprescriptionanddelivermedicinestothepatients.

OthermachineslinkedwiththeATMwouldconductECG,bloodpressure,temperatureandsugarleveltests,andsendthereports

onlinetodoctors.

GovtinkspactwithCSIOforfarmtech

ThePunjabRemoteSensingCentre(PRSC)andtheCentralScientificInstrumentsOrganisation(CSIO)havejoinedhandstodevelopsensingsystemsandusegeospatial

technology formanagementofnaturalresourcessoastoprovideend-to-endsolutionstoissuessuchaswaterandfoodsecurity.

Thiswillleadtodevelopmentofadecision-supportsystemforhelpingfarmerstoincreaseyieldandprovidingnearreal-timeinformationaboutwaterqualitybyfusionofremotesensingtechnology,dataanalyticsandsensor-baseddata

aggregation,

Disabledteachers’transferscontrarytoCentralAct

EvenastheCentrereplacedthePersonswithDisabilityAct,1995,withanewoneanddefinedtherightsofthedisabled,thestateEducationDepartmenthasframeda

divergentpolicy.

Thedepartmentorderedthatonlythosehavingadisabilityabove70percentcouldbecategorised ashandicappedandpostedonaprioritybasis.

However,theaffectedpersonsclaimedthatitisinviolationofPersonswithDisabilitiesAct,1995, anditsamendedversion- RightsofPersonswithDisabledAct,2016,

wherebythosehavingadisabilityfrom40to100percentshouldbetreatedequally.

Theorderharmstheinterestsofthosewithadisabilitybetween40to70percent.Theywillnotbeconsideredonpriorityinroutinetransferswhichthedepartmentwill

effectsoon.

PropertymapswillbeavailableattheclickofamouseforpeopleinthestatebyDecember31,followingthecompletionofaspecialprojectgiventothePunjab

RemoteSensingCentreofPunjabAgriculturalUniversity,Ludhiana.

Themovewillbringreliefforthecommonmanfromrunningbetweenofficesofthepatwaris andtehsildars forgettingpropertydetailswhilebuildinghousesor

forotherpurposes.

Thedigitisation willinvolvesuperimpositionofthemasterfileoflandrecordsfollowingaverificationandwillserveasanauthenticrecordforallpurposesin

courts.

PunjabCMapprovescashgrantforwarwidowsinplaceofland

Concedingalongpendingdemand,PunjabChiefMinisterAmarinderSinghapprovedapolicychangeallowingcashgrantsinsteadoflandfor

warwidows.

Thepolicychangewillbeapplicabletodependentsofmartyredsoldiers,besidespermanentlydisabledsoldiersof1962Indo-ChinaWar,1965

Indo-PakWarandwidowsof1971Indo-PakWar.

SinghhadapprovedagrantofRs5lakhinlieuofoneacreoflanduptoamaximumofRs50lakhfor10acres,asperindividualeligibility.

AAP’sSukhpal Khaira newLeaderofOppositioninPunjabAssembly

NinedaysafterAAPMLAHSPhoolka tenderedhisresignationfromthepost,theAam Aadmi Party

announcedBholath MLASukhpal Khaira asthenewLeaderofOppositioninthePunjabVidhan Sabha.

Now,e-challaning viapoint-of-salemachine

TheJalandhar policehavebecomethefirsttrafficpoliceunitinthecountrytostarte-challaning throughpoint-of-sale(POS)machines

integratedwithnationalnetwork.

Themachineintegratedwiththenationaldatabaseof‘Vahan’and‘Saarthi’ applicationswouldnotonlycontroltrafficviolationsbut

alsohelpcurbcrimeinthearea.

Thoughthepoliceofmanystateshaveintroducede-challans,butJalandhar hasbecomethefirstdistrictinIndiatointroducePOS

machinesthathavebeenintegrated withthenationaldatabaseoflicensingandvehicleregistration

Trafficcopswouldjusthavetofillthevehicleregistrationnumberorthelicence detailsofthedriverandalldetailsofthevehicleanddriverwould

becomeavailabletothechallaning authority.

Supposeapersonhasviolatedatrafficruleinonestateandrepeatedthecrimeinanotherarea,themachinewillhavethedetailsandwillissuechallan

receiptsaccordingly.

Ifapersonisfoundcommittingthreeviolationsofthesamekind,hislicencewillbecancelledwithimmediateeffect.

Stubbleburning’stoostubborn,evenforamilliondollars

Thevexingissueofpaddy-strawburninganditsharmfuleffectonhumansandtheenvironmenthasthusfarprovedinsurmountable.

ThePunjabGovernmenthasnowannounceda$1million“PaddyStrawManagementChallengeFund”,tobeawardedtowhoeverfindsasolutiontothe

problem.

Thequestionagitatingexpertsandfarmersis:cantherebeaone-pointsolutiontotheproblem,whichhasatleastthreepointsoffocus— theharvest,processingof

thestraw,andthesowingofthesubsequentcrop?

Giventhespreadofchallengesandtheexperiencethusfar,itwillrequirearatherlargedoseofluckforsomeonetowinthat$1million,howeverwell-intentionedthe

initiative.

In2012,theuniversityhadpromotedproductionbiogasfrompaddystubblebydryfermentation.“Itisaneffectivetechniqueandtheresidueleftisusedas

manure,butagainthecostsarehigh.

Thestateannouncedasubsidybutthattoofailedtoattractthefarmers,”saysDrBSSooch,seniorresearchscientist.

DrRKGupta,seniorsoilchemist,DepartmentofSoilSciences,pointstoanothertechnique,“biochar”producedfromstubble.Itisnowbeing

publicised byKrishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs)atLadowal,Jalandhar,Amritsar,Gurdaspur andBathinda.

Thistechniquereducespollution andtheuseoftheresidueimprovessoilhealth,improveswaterinfiltrationrateaswellaswaterholdingcapacityofthe

soil.

TheCentretoohaschippedinonthepaddystrawproblem.

UnionOilMinisterDharmendra PradhanannouncedonNovember11,2016,thatanewplanttoproduceethanoltobesetupinBathinda withanoutlayofRs500crore.

Theplantwastoconvertpaddyresidueintoethanol,whichwouldprovideadditionalincometofarmers.

ThethenDeputyChiefMinister,Sukhbir SinghBadal,hadsaidsuchplantswouldbesetupineverydistrictinleaguewithprivateplayers.Headdedthisinitiativewouldgivefarmers

anextraRs3,000-4,000peracre.

ThefoundationstoneoftheplantwaslaidinDecember2016,butsincethechangeofgovernmentthefateoftheprojectisnotknown.

BhartiFoundationinkspactwithPunjabforbuildingtoilets

BhartiFoundation,thephilanthropicarmofBhartiEnterprises,signedapactwiththePunjabgovernmenttojointlybuildover50,000toiletsforruralhouseholdsinAmritsar

district.

BhartiFoundationwillbecollaboratingwiththePunjabgovernmentunderthe'SatyaBhartiAbhiyan',VijayChadda,CEO,BhartiFoundation,informed.

Underthepact,BhartiFoundationwilljoinhandswiththePunjabgovernmentandprovidefinancialassistancefortheconstructionof20,000toiletsinfourblocks

Chogawan,Majitha,Ajnala andHarsha Chhina withaninvestmentofuptoRs30crore

Theremaining30,000plustoiletswillbeprovidedbythePunjabgovernmentinfiveblocksAttari,Jandiala,Rayya,Tarsika andVerka

Theinitiativewillbesupportedbygrantsfromtwogroupcompanies–- BhartiAirtelLimitedandBhartiInfratel Limited.

Satya BhartiAbhiyan'isaprivatesector-supportedinterventiondesignedtocontributetoGovernmentofIndia’s'Swachh BharatMission'.

ItwaslaunchedbyBhartiFoundationinAugust2014asaresponsetothecallgivenbyPrimeMinisterNarendraModiurgingcorporates tojointhe

government’seffortsinsanitationandhealthunderthe'Swachh BharatMission'.

PunjabCabinetapprovescroploanwaiver

ThePunjabCabinetgaveitsapprovaltonotifythecroploanwaiverschemeannouncedbychiefministerCaptainAmarinder SinghinthestateassemblyinJune

thisyear.

Besidestakingovertheentireeligibleloanamountofthefarmerscoveredbythedebtwaiverscheme,thegovernmenthasdecidedtoalsotakeovertheoutstandinginterestoffarmersfrom1stApril,2017tillthedateofnotification,whichwilllead

toanadditionalRs400crorebenefittothefarmers.

Thecroploanwaiverscheme,basedontherecommendationsofanexpertgroupheadedbyeminenteconomistDr.T.Haque,willdirectlybenefitnearly10.25lakh

farmersacrossthestate.

ThechiefministerhadinJuneannouncedwaiveroftheentirecroploans(upto Rs2lakh)ofallsmallandmarginalfarmers(upto 5acres)andareliefofRs.2lakhtotheremaining

marginalfarmersirrespectiveoftheamountofloan.

Thenotificationenvisagesthatincaseofmarginalfarmer(lessthan2.5acres)theentireeligibleamountofthosefarmerswhohavetotaloutstandingcroploanliabilityupto Rs2lakh

shallbeprovidedasdebtreliefandincaseofeligibleamountofmorethanRs2lakh,onlyRs2lakhshallbeprovidedasdebtrelief.

Incaseofsmallfarmers(from2.5acrestolessthan5acres),theentireeligibleamountofthosefarmerswhohavetotaloutstandingcroploanliabilityupto Rs.2lakh,shallbeprovided

asdebtrelief.

Inthecaseofafarmerwhohastakenloansfromtwoseparatelendinginstitutions,thefirstpriorityshallbegiventotheCooperative

institutionsandsecondtothePublicSectorBanksandthirdtotheCommercialBanksinthatorder.

HeritageFoodsentersPunjab

AndhraPradesh-baseddairyproductsmaker HeritageFoodshasforayedintoPunjabaftercompletingtheacquisition ofthedairybusinessof RelianceRetail anditsbrands‘DairyLife’and‘DairyPure’.

RelianceRetail’sdairybusinesshadpan-Indiapresence,with60%centredaroundthestatesofDelhi,Punjab,Haryana,RajasthanandHimachal

Pradesh.

TheacquisitionhasgivenHeritageFoodsaccesstoanadditional200,000litres ofmilkeveryday,increasingitshandlingto1.4millionlitres across15

statesinthecountry.

Punjabtosetupviralvaccineunitstoprotectlivestock

PunjabchiefministerCaptainAmarinder Singhgavein-principleapprovalforsettingupviralvaccineproductionunitstoensure

betterprotectionoflivestockagainstcriticaldiseases.

Theunitswillhelpinprotectinglivestockagainstfootandmouthdisease,swinefluandgoatplague.

TwouniversitiesinPunjabgetnewvicechancellors

The Punjab governor VPSinghBadnore appointedprofessorBSGhuman vice-chancellorof PunjabiUniversity and

Jaspal SSandhu vice-chancellorofGuru NanakDevUniversity (GNDU),Amritsar.

Punjabgovtapproves100acresoflandforuniversity

ThePunjabGovernmentapproved100acresoflandofSriChamkaurSahibNagarPanchayat inRupnagar districtforsettingupaskillsand

vocationaluniversity.

LocalGovernmentMinisterNavjot SinghSidhu saidtheuniversitywouldbeatributetothemartyrdomofthe‘vadde Sahibzaade’.

The‘vadde Sahibzaade’ofthe10thGuru,GuruGobind Singh— BabaAjitSingh,bornatPaunta Sahib,andBabaJujhar Singh,thesecondson,was

bornatAnandpur Sahib.

Thetwowere18and16yearsoldrespectivelywhentheyachievedmartyrdomatChamkaur Sahib.

China’sZhuhai Yinlong tosetupelectricvehicleplantinPunjab

China’sZhuhai Yinlong NewEnergyLtdplanstosetupanelectricvehiclemanufacturingplantinPunjab,attractedbyIndia’splantoswitchto

electricvehiclesby2030.

ThefirstsuchmanufacturingunitbyanoverseasfirminIndiacomesamidplanstorunelectriccarsandbusesinAmritsar,followedbyJalandhar and

Ludhiana.Zhuhai Yinlong NewEnergymanufactureslithium-ionbatteries.

Punjabcabinetapprovesculturepolicy

Withthe PunjabCabinet approvinganew PunjabStateCulturePolicy,thestateclaimstohavebecomethesecondstateinthecountry,afterManipur,tohavesuchapolicyfortheprotectionandpreservationofits

rich culturalheritage

Apartfromsafeguardingandconservingtheculturalheritageofthestate,thenewpolicywouldhelppromotethequalityofitsartand

culture.

Punjabgovt’s Ghar Ghar Rozgar Yojanaemployers’meetbegins

ThePunjabgovernment’sambitiousGhar Ghar Rozgar Yojanaemployers’meetbeganatIndianSchoolofBusiness(ISB),Mohali.

Theideaofthemeetistoseekfeedbackfromtheindustryontheirrequirementformanpower.

Thegovernmentistakingthisfeedbacksothattheycanframetheirpolicies,especiallyonskillingyouth,accordingtoindustryneeds.

AccordingtothesurveybyLabour Bureau,unemploymentrateis16.6percentascomparedto10percentforIndiaasawhole.It’sbecauseeconomic

growthinPunjabhasbeenveryslow

PapermfgcompanykeentoinvestRs1,000cr inPunjab

ApapermanufacturingcompanyhasproposedtoinvestRs1,000croreforsettingupamanufacturingunitinPunjab.

Theunit,proposedtobesetupatChamkur SahibinRupnagar district,willalsogiveaboosttoCaptainAmarinder Singh-ledgovernment'seffortsto

curbstubbleburningasthemanufacturingunitwilluseagriculturalresiduetoproducewritingandprintingpaper.

Givingdetailsoftheproposal,thespokespersonsaidRuchira PapersLimitedhadfiledanapplicationinthe'InvestPunjab' officeonSeptember27,seekingstatelevelapprovalsforsettingupanewmanufacturingunit.

Expectedtobecommissionedby2019,theprojectwillgeneratefreshemploymentforaround3,500people,

accordingtothecompany,engagedinthemanufacturingofthewell-knownbrandof'KraftPaper'.

Ruchira Papers,establishedin1980,currentlyhasmanufacturingfacilitiesinHimachalPradesh

IndustrialistRajinder GuptaelectedPunjabCricketAssociation chief.

Rajinder Gupta,chairmanofLudhiana-basedTridentGroup,wasunanimouslyelectedpresidentofPunjabCricketAssociationinits

annualgeneralmeeting(AGM)

Arjuna awards

PUNJAB

Khushbir Kaur – Athletics – 20 Km race walker

Harmanpreet Kaur – Cricket

Rs174 crore allocated for the prevention of cancer and for drug de-addiction.

57 new drug de-addiction centers are being opened in the state

section 77 of Juvenile Justice Act under this provision any person who sells drugs to the children

may get seven years of sentence and Rs1 lakh as fine.

ThePunjab U-17 girls cricket teamwonGoldMedalatthe63rdNationalSchoolgamesheldatKhandwain

MadhyaPradesh.

U-17teamwonallits5matchesanddefeatedMadhyaPradeshinthefinalby7wicketsbesidesbeatingMaharashtrainthe

semifinalby4wickets.

Veerpal KaurofPunjabscoredatotalof199runsandwasdeclaredtheBestintermsofbattingwhileArshdeep Kaurwith

8wasadjudgedthebestbowler.

IndiastrikersRamandeep SinghandAkashdeep SinghstruckcrucialgoalstohelpPunjabPolicedefeatONGCandwintheSurjitHockeyTournamentafteragapof

17years.

PunjabPolice,wholastwonthetitlein2000andreachedthefinalin2004,beatfirst-timefinalists

ONGC2-1inthefinalheretoday.

Punjabwillorganise whatisbeingtoutedasthecountry'sfirst MilitaryLiteratureFestival (MLF)from

December7to9inChandigarh.

ThiswasdisclosedbyPunjabtourismandcultureminister NavjotSinghSidhu

Punjab Ranji Trophy team's newcoachAjayRatra

ThePunjabchiefminister CaptainAmarinder Singh hasconstitutedasteeringcommittee,headedby OlympianRandhir

Singh,tosetinmotiontheprocessofsettingupa sportsuniversityinPatiala.

PunjabChiefMinisterCaptainAmarinder Singh demiseofhismother,‘Rajmata’Mohinder Kaurpassedawayin

herPatialahomeShewas96.

TheBiodiversityandNaturalResourcesProtectionProject,amountingtoRs 817crore,

forwardedbythePunjabGovernmenttotheCentreforseekingassistancefromJapanBank

ForestMinisterSadhuSinghDharamsot

ItisalsodecidedtodeclareRoparWetlandasawildlifesanctuary/conservationreserve